The protagonist, a poor, moody student named Tachi Miroku, was recently recognized as the Best New Writer in a major literary competition, but the stress of living up to his family's goals of him becoming a powerful man has broken him on the cusp of greatness. Despite his tremendous potential, success does not come easy. Alone and without direction, every day is a vicious battle with his past and his moral fiber. He hasn't been to work in four months and his dreams are a total mess filled with abuse, taunting, and the strong smell of blood. And that is just the tip of the iceberg...

Inspired by the Russian classic Crime and Punishment, retold through the eyes of a struggling Japanese writer, Naoyuki Ochiai's adaptation of Dostoevsky's drama focuses on the issues of identity and the duality of life in a modern megapolis.

The series was published digitally in English as Crime and Punishment: A Falsified Romance by JManga until the service was discontinued, and it has been published digitally by Orange Inc. through emaqi.